Brussels, 06/08/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 6 August 2008, the European Commission launched a call for tender for a retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and relevance of the Farm Advisory System (FAS) introduced within the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2003. The FAS enables farmers to benefit, should they so desire, from expert advice to help them meet the cross-compliance rules for EU farm aid. The aim of this retrospective evaluation is to assess the impacts of the implementation of the instrument (including the support provided by the rural development policy) by the Member States with respect to achieving the objectives laid down in Council Regulations (EC) 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes and other support schemes under the CAP. The evaluation will assess the impact of the implementation of the FAS with respect to: (1) farm and land management; (2) farmers' income; (3) achievement of global objectives in terms of meeting the standards of modern, high-quality agriculture; (4) other impacts and unintended side-effects; (5) administrative requirements for the Member States and the farmers and (6) the efficiency, relevance and coherence of the instrument. The maximum budget earmarked for the project is €400,000. The deadline for submitting bids is 27 October 2008 and the Commission wants the contract to be awarded by the end of 2008. The contractor would have to carry out the evaluation within 10 months of signature of the contract. Details can be found at: http: //ec.europa.eu/dgs/agriculture/tenderdocs/2008/201459/index_en.htm (A.B. /transl fl)